


Obstacles in Our Way

by SoCanonItHurts



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Blindness, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Minor Violence, blind!Arthur
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-17
Updated: 2017-05-10
Packaged: 2018-06-02 17:32:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,601
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6575791
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SoCanonItHurts/pseuds/SoCanonItHurts
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Merlin has a wonderful night with a  mysterious man and on the search to find him he ends up as a rich blind man's chaperone.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Blondie

**Author's Note:**

> Warning: I know nothing about being blind, all of my knowledge is from tv or what little research I've done. This is not an actual description of blindness, only my understanding of it and how I interpret it.

“Last night was amazing!” Merlin sighed into the phone as he leaned back against the wall behind him. 

“Last night? You mean you actually went home with that ass hat? You’re more of an idiot than I thought,” Will replied, disdain in his voice as well as amusement. “Do you even remember last night? You were so sloshed.”

“I remember it being amazing. Best. Sex. Ever. I have to see him again.”

“What?! No no no, you know the rules of a one night stand. Plus, did you even get his number, or his name for that matter?” Will seemed exasperated at this point, but Merlin was having none of it; he just had to see that man again. 

“Well, no and no, but I know what he looks like and come on, it’s not like it’s impossible. Maybe he will be at the bar again tonight, it’s still the weekend, I could ask his name then,” Merlin sighed, knowing how impossible it actually was. The dark haired man he’d been with the night before had been gorgeous, gentlemanly, and chivalrous. He’d almost courted Merlin before getting him sloshed and deciding to fuck his daylights out at some seedy motel. His name started with a G, Merlin was sure of it. He could remember very little, but he thought he remembered a blond fellow with ‘gorgeous’ last night and if the man he slept with wasn’t there, maybe blondie would be. “He had a friend! I think his name was Ar…something.”

“You’re hopeless, you know that right? Fine, go to the bar again tonight and see if you can find him. All I’m saying is, don’t get your heart broken again. I won’t be here for you to sniffle on this time,” Will hung up after that, leaving Merlin sighing and holding his phone against his chest. 

Merlin sighed again as he pulled away from the wall to go over to his mirror. He checked his appearance, flushing as he covered his ears then uncovered them again. How did anyone like him with ears like that? He had no idea, but he hoped G didn’t mind; he didn’t seem to mind last night. 

Within an hour, Merlin was back at the bar, sitting at a table and watching for either blondie or G to show up. He sat there, fidgeting and drinking, for a good two hours before hope shined through. It was just blondie, but Merlin was sure he could get the info out of him about G. 

Blondie was attractive in his own right. He had golden hair, light blue eyes, and just barely sun kissed skin. Merlin figured he was probably a dick though, he seemed arrogant and had an air of holier-than-thou about him. Or maybe it was just his blank staring that did it. Blondie had a woman with him tonight, she was also gorgeous and she was in the middle of saying something when she stopped mid-sentence and slapped blondie’s arm. She had black hair and she was fair skinned. They both wore clothes that signaled high society, but that wouldn’t stop Merlin. He had to find out who G was. 

“Um, excuse me?” Merlin asked as he came up behind them, tapping blondie on the shoulder. The man barely turned his head, bit of a dick move. “My name is Merlin. Last night I went out with your friend, we had an amazing night and I was wondering if you’d---“ He was cut off short by blondie’s laughter and the dark haired beauty next to him began giggling as well.

“Trust me, Gwaine, doesn’t want to be found. He sleeps around a lot, not one to settle down, not looking to settle down, and I’m sure you’re barely his type since you don’t sound like you have boobs. Last night was probably a drunk mistake and you probably will never see him again. So give it up,” he said it bluntly and curtly, leaving Merlin bereft of what to say. He opened his mouth but nothing came out and the woman seemed to take at least some pity on him. 

“I apologize, my brother is very protective of his friends. I’m sure Gwaine would love to see you again, one night stand or otherwise, but he left town this morning. He’s a model after all and is very busy. I’m Morgana, my brother is Arthur,” she said softly, as if sensing Merlin’s sudden distress. So Gwaine was gone and was just another bi-curious looking for an outlet. Ah well, he supposed, it’s probably for the best. 

“Thank you for letting me know. You didn’t have to be such a prat about it though,” Merlin said in reference to Arthur, who simply stared at him blankly; again. It was getting creepy, he barely even blinked.   
….

It suddenly clicked and Merlin nearly gasped out loud, “Oh wow. Are you…blind?” Morgana was once again chuckling and Arthur’s brows furrowed suddenly. 

“Obviously, Merlin. You must be blind as well if you hadn’t noticed before,” he lifted up the red and white cane he’d had by his side the whole time, Merlin really was just as blind, “I do have this as well as a chaperone.” To this, Morgana suddenly stopped chuckling and grinned like a cat who just caught the mouse as she looked Merlin up and down.

“Say, Merlin dear, are you by chance looking for work?” she asked it as calmly as could be, which for some reason perturbed Merlin. This on top of the fact that Arthur was suddenly floundering for something to say. 

“Well, sort of. But most people are these days. Why?” Merlin asked, raising a brow in question. He had been working for his Uncle Gaius, but recently he retired and no longer needed an assistant. How convenient was it that this woman seemed to have a job offer for him? He looked to Arthur but he was still floundering, obviously flustered and upset by Morgana’s implied proposition.

“I think I have the perfect job for you, Merlin,” Morgana said with that grin still on her face. 

“Morgana! No way! We’ve only just met him, you can’t be serious,” Arthur seemed furious, but he didn’t yell or shout. He simply spoke sternly and Morgana just slapped his arm again; she seemed to do that a lot.

“A job? What kind of job?” Merlin asked warily, uneasy about the reaction Arthur had to the announcement. If Arthur seemed so upset by it, he might not want such a job.

“You would be Arthur’s personal chaperone. You would get 50 an hour and paid every Friday. You could be paid more if you do a good job. Arthur recently fired his last chaperone and he can’t be around on his own much, obviously. There will be a bit of cleaning and cooking, as well as occasional help in other areas, but I’m sure you won’t mind,” Morgana ignored Arthur’s muttered protests consisting of how he can take care of himself and doesn’t need a chaperone. 

Merlin pondered it for a long moment. It was a lot of money and how hard could it be? He just had to chaperone, make sure Arthur didn’t hurt himself or others, and make sure he got where he was going. He could clean and cook whatever Arthur needed for 50 an hourThe only worry he had was Arthur’s attitude. He seemed like a blunt douche, but maybe they could somehow manage to be friends. He thought of his flat and how, with Will having moved out a few months ago, he could barely pay rent right now, and his mind was made up.   
“It sounds perfect. When do I start?”  
“Tomorrow. Be ready at seven in the morning, every morning. A limo will be there to pick you up at your place at seven exactly so don’t be late. What’s your address?”


	2. Chapter 2

Merlin woke up to his alarm at six. At first, he was pissed, why was he getting up so early again? Oh yeah, 50 an hour. He sat up slowly before shaking his head and getting himself together. He showered and ate a quick breakfast before going outside to wait for the limo. Thankfully it was late into Spring, so the weather was nice enough to sit out and wait. Morgana hadn’t given him any sort of dress code so he just wore black skinny jeans and a t-shirt under his favorite grey hoodie. 

The limo pulled up at exactly seven, just like Morgana said it would and he quickly got into the very back. He shouldn’t have been, but he was surprised when he saw Morgana in the seat next to him. 

“Oh don’t be so jumpy, it’s only me. I want to warn you about some things; about Arthur,” Morgana wasn’t the happy, blunt yet kind, woman she had been last night. This morning she was slightly solemn and her face seemed a bit more haunted. 

“Go ahead, I might as well read the terms and conditions before I go into this job,” Merlin responded, looking at Morgana with curious eyes.

“Arthur is blunt and definitely a prat, as you so eloquently stated last night, but he’s also a good man. He likes to pretend he’s not as smart as he actually is, or maybe he actually believes he’s not. Our father is, ruthless to say the least. He has these terrible superstitions and even at the head of a company he somehow finds time to batter his children; especially Arthur. When Uther realized his only heir was blind, he made sure that Arthur would never forget it, like it was all his fault that he was born that way. There are things I won’t tell you because it’s Arthur’s job to let you in on his personal life, if he keeps you for longer than a week and decides to trust you, which usually I would doubt,” she stopped suddenly and looked at Merlin with a strange glint in her eyes, “But I feel differently about you, Merlin. You won’t break under his abuse.”

“I would hope not for 50 an hour, unless he’s tying me up and beating me, I don’t think I’ll be going anywhere.”

Morgana laughed softly as the limo came to a stop, reaching out and taking Merlin’s hand in her own, “I am trusting you with my brother, who is more fragile than he seems. Do not make me regret it.”

In the next moment, Merlin was out on the sidewalk in front of a huge condominium with a paper in his hand. He looked at it to find it was a list, more like a schedule for Arthur’s day. The list included big things like getting to places such as work, but it also included the little things like showering and having breakfast. It even described the different types of things Arthur liked to have for breakfast. Merlin rolled his eyes and shoved the paper into his pocket, after quickly memorizing it of course. 

Merlin stepped into the building, Arthur’s condo number also memorized and the keycard around his next on a lanyard. A man at a desk greeted him cheerfully and Merlin found out his name was George. George quickly handed him a binder and Merlin realized that the binder was full of papers like the one Morgana gave him. Schedules, things he liked to eat, all of the basic things a person might need to know about Arthur’s routine and his superficial life.

Merlin got into the elevator and rode it all the way up to the top. He entered the condo quietly, the schedule said Arthur didn’t wake up until eight and it was only 7:30. Merlin went about straightening up the condo, it wasn’t really dirty but he picked up a couple dishes and made sure to wash them. He also picked up a few pieces of laundry lying around the living room, some small towels and one shirt, which he threw in the laundry room to work on later. He couldn’t believe how ostentatious the condo was. Arthur couldn’t even see it all, so why did it have to be so grand? 

Merlin had found a watch just for this job lying around his flat so he would know at all times what time it was. He didn’t want to mess this up, he needed the money if he wanted to travel like he wanted. He’d been saving for a year and he still didn’t have nearly enough to do all the travelling he wanted to do. So he would do this job to the best of his ability and get as much money as he needs.

At 7:58 he walked into the bedroom, the door had been ajar but part of him didn’t want to disturb Arthur any earlier than he needed to, he was sure the man would be a terror in the mornings. But when he walked in, all he could see were blankets and pillows strung about on the bed. He stepped closer, noting that everything was red. For a blind man, it all seemed so expressive. As he got closer he could make out a form under the blankets and a head of golden hair poking out from under the red duvet. As Merlin stepped right up to the bed, ready to wake the man before him, Arthur stirred and those blank eyes blinked open. Merlin held back a pout, missing that moment where Arthur looked peaceful, before realizing Arthur couldn’t see it so he just let his lower lip poke out a little bit. 

“Morgana?” Arthur asked sleepily and Merlin smiled softly.

“Nope. Merlin, rise and shine, your highness!” Merlin didn’t shout but he spoke loud enough to be heard and he almost laughed when Arthur sat up quickly, yanking the blankets up to his chest as if there was anything to hide.

“Don’t startle me like that! Jesus Christ Merlin…” Arthur ran a hand over his face before tilting his head in Merlin’s direction. “Well? Are you just going to stand there or are you going to start my shower?”

Merlin’s smile immediately wilted and he huffed before heading to the en suite to start the shower, just as the list/schedule persisted, he set it to a nice temperature between warm and scalding. He made sure he arranged the soaps so Arthur could easily get to them before he went back into the bedroom. He felt a flush raise in his cheeks as he saw Arthur, standing only in boxers at the end of the bed, one hand against the bed post as he shuffled sleepily towards the bathroom. For a moment, Merlin forgot he was blind, then remembered himself and moved to help but then he thought about it and stopped. Arthur had spent his whole life blind, he can do most of these things on his own and Merlin was sure it would be patronizing to ask if he needed help.

So, instead, Merlin settled for a safer question, “What would you like to wear today, Arthur?” he already had moved over to the closet and turned on the light, gasping lightly at all the neatly hung clothes inside. It was like Armani had babies with a department store and had Arthur’s closet. It was all designer clothes and shoes and for one the closet was more than walk in, it was almost the size of another whole bedroom. He was lost in his mesmerized state when he heard Arthur’s response.

“I need something for work. Button down, suit jacket, slacks, and nice shoes. Hopefully you’re better at coordinating clothes together than my last one. I went to work and I could feel the stares.” Then the bathroom door slammed and Merlin winced. He knew nothing about clothes but he would do his best. He rummaged through all of the button downs before finding a nice red one that was actually paired next to a suit jacket that was hung up with some black slacks. He figured that was Morgana’s doing and he silently thanked God for her before pulling the outfit out of the closet. He grabbed some black socks and a pair of obviously expensive dress shoes to go with it all and laid it all on the bed. He was gazing approvingly at his work when he thought of accessories and he rushed to find a watch and whatever else he may need. 

By the end he was already mentally tired but he found something that he thought worked and waited for Arthur to get out of the shower. He didn’t have to wait long because the shower shut off after only a couple minutes. There was a moment of silence before Arthur called out, “Merlin!” 

Merlin immediately thought that something must be wrong and he threw open the bathroom door. Arthur was standing mostly behind the frosted glass of the shower door so Merlin couldn’t see anything, but it was still an intimate setting and he could feel his ears heating up. “Yes?”

“Forgetting something, are we?” Arthur’s lips tilted into an unhappy frown and Merlin looked around, not realizing for a long moment before he actually slapped himself on the forehead.

“Towel! Yes, got it,” he quickly grabbed a towel from the cabinet and gently placed it into Arthur’s outstretched hand. 

“Don’t forget next time. It goes right there, “Arthur points to a towel rung right beside the shower, obviously knowing where it is after so long, and nods before stepping out, towel firmly set around his hips before he begins to walk out of the bathroom. 

Merlin trails after Arthur closely, halting when Arthur stopped at the foot of the bed, “Dress me,” Arthur commanded and for a moment, Merlin hesitated. He had to dress Arthur? Naked to dressed? He took a deep breath to steady himself, but his eyes fell to Arthur’s exposed chest and he bit back a sound of appreciation. Obviously this man kept fit and healthy, but at the same time Arthur had a bit of a tummy and Merlin found he really liked that. He shook his head, mentally berating himself before stepping over and grabbing the pair of boxers he picked out last minute: red to match the shirt.

“Alright, drop the towel then,” it was Arthur’s turn to flush and Merlin smirked before his face was suddenly covered by damp towel.

“Wipe that smirk off your face! I can basically hear it, idiot, now dress me.”

Merlin was grinning as he pulled off the towel and tossed it into a clothes basket, mentally giving himself three points before turning back to Arthur. He kept his eyes either averted or above waist level as he slowly dressed Arthur. He wasn’t sure if any of this was right but Arthur didn’t complain any other than a grunt when Merlin pulled up a little far on the slacks. What? He’d never dressed anyone but himself before. When he was finished, all the way down to the ring he put on Arthur’s right hand, he stood back and looked over his work. 

“Not bad if I do say so myself. We have to do something about your hair though,” Merlin said with a soft chuckle before reaching out and gently ruffling Arthur’s hair. Arthur flinched at first but eventually just let Merlin do whatever he needed to do. 

“As long as the colors go together and everything is on the right way round, I don’t much care. What time is it?”

Merlin looked at his watch, “8:47,” he hesitated, not sure if he should add ‘sir’ to the sentence or not before decided not to. He was a chaperone, not a manservant, 

“Good, the limo will be here at nine, we might as well head down. You will come to work with me. Part of your job will be working as my secretary of sorts. Anything that is not in braille that needs my approval, you will read to me aloud and then enter into a computer. Simple really, even an idiot like you can do it. Let’s go,” Arthur moved over beside his bed and grabbed the shortened cane off of the bedside table, lengthening it out to full size before heading out of the bedroom.

Merlin wanted to feel insulted at being called an idiot, but he internally just called Arthur a prat and moved on. He followed Arthur out of the condo and down to the limo, which was in fact waiting just on time. Once inside the limo, Merlin started to feel a bit under dressed. He didn’t realize he would be working in an office building with people dressed like Arthur was then. He doesn’t even have a proper wardrobe for that sort of thing. 

“Um, Arthur, is it okay that I’m just wearing jeans and a hoodie?”

Arthur actually scoffed, a hint of a smirk on his face, “It’s fine, Merlin. Nobody cares what my chaperone looks like. My father wouldn’t care if you were dressed in only your pants as long as you were doing your job right, so I don’t care either. If anyone says anything, just ignore it, alright?” Merlin thought Arthur was done there but then he added, “I’m sure you look just fine.”

Merlin was confused. One minute, Arthur was a prat and calling him an idiot, then he answers a stupid question and adds a reassurance on the end? He was starting to see what Morgana was talking about. Arthur might just be a good man.


End file.
